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Locked On Cowboys - Daily Podcast On The Dallas Cowboys
COWBOYS SQUAD SHOW: The Cowboys add Rashan Gary & Jalen Thompson.
01:00:49
COWBOYS SQUAD SHOW: The Cowboys start NFL Free Agency by adding Rashan Gary & Jalen Thompson.
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- [00:02]
A
I'm Jeff Bigs and I am still waiting for the big deal that didn't happen today for the Cowboys.
- [00:11]
B
I am Marcus Mosher. I thought Freedom. He started on Wednesday.
- [00:16]
C
Glenn Stretchmith. And there ain't been no splash yet.
- [00:20]
B
How about them Cowboys? It's the Cowboys squad everything. Dallas Cowboys every week covering all the big hits and game changing plays from America's team the way only the Locked on podcast network can get ready and squad up. It's the Cowboy squad show starting now.
- [00:43]
A
It's great to be with you as the legal tampering period is now underway in the NFL. Full disclosure, just a little side note, I was going to go with a couple of different options for that intro. My first was going to be, hey, let's call the FBI. We need to find the Cowboys front office. But then they signed Jalen Thompson, so couldn't really go with that. Plus they did pick up Rashawn Gary this morning. Or I took a lot of heat, Marcus, for saying that In N Out burger is better than Whataburger. I got crushed in the comments. I stand by that, by the way, but it's okay. But I was going to say tonight or today so far has been kind of a nothing burger, but there's still time. And like you said, Marcus Moser, really, Wednesday is the day that we're looking for and a lot of players are still out there. Like most of them.
- [01:35]
B
Yeah, I, I remember when free agency used to be like a two or three week event. Right. Like these deals would trickle in slowly. Now it's really like two days by, by the time we get to Wednesday, all the top free agents are going to be signed. You're going to be down to the fourth and fifth wave of free agency. It's wild how the NFL has turned this into a really a two day event.
- [01:57]
A
All right, coach?
- [01:58]
C
Yeah, you should have gotten crushed for saying it was better than a whataburger. You're in God's country and you're smarter than that. That's number one. So it's fine to think. To think it. But you're down here. You should. They should have bopped you real good. Right. The snot box for saying that.
- [02:18]
B
You know, I've never had either stretch. Neither of them.
- [02:21]
C
What's that?
- [02:22]
B
Water Burger or In N Out?
- [02:24]
C
You've never had either one of them?
- [02:26]
A
Nope.
- [02:26]
B
They don't have them up here.
- [02:28]
C
So I don't know why you don't go around the corner tonight and get Yankee tattooed on the right cheek of your ass. You're Yankee, so it's fine. I mean, it's fine. We want you on the show. But, you know, I, I really, I don't know, I, I think we talked so much about the direction that we thought the Cowboys might go. Might it, you know, might it be something that would, you know, would really get you where you felt like you needed to get your checkbook out or your credit card to go renew your seat license. And right now that hadn't happened. There's been nothing in my mind that's made you say, boy, that's the difference. Now I did see, you know, I look back at the signing of Thompson or when they got had to sign the Thompson, I go look back at the stat line just thinking, okay, is this something that he did when the Cowboys played the Cardinals? And the answer is no. But he had two tackles and I mean he was just, he was just kind of a guy. So I, you know, if you want to say, well, he's, he's, you know, he's, he's opposite of Buddha Baker. And yeah, they may be one of the top 512 combinations of safeties that are out there. You can look at it that way or you can say, hey, the last big Cowboys signing was what, what was it?
- [03:52]
B
Car.
- [03:53]
C
When they gave him five for 50, 500 when they, when they signed him five for 55.
- [03:59]
B
I remember.
- [04:00]
C
Yeah, when they signed him from the Chefs. And you're like, you thought, and that's why they've been burnt because that turned out to be just average as a bowl of grits. So, you know, maybe, maybe this is something where they're now valuing the safety position and saying they want to put a little money into it.
- [04:18]
A
Let me do the, hold on, let me do the official intro. By the way, I kind of, I kind of botched that one. So. Welcome to the Cowboy squad show. That is the co host of the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast, Marcus Mosher, who was up early this morning with Landon McCool doing a special episode. And we have former Cowboys coach Glenn Stretch Smith. Aisha Morrison let me know a little while ago. She is going to be back with us on Thursday. So we look forward to that. All right, that's, that's the intro. Let's just start with the news that we have today. We found out this morning Rashawn Gary was acquired by the Cowboys for a seventh round pick. And then later in the day they acquired, they signed, signed, agreed with Jalen Thompson on a three year deal. This was thing about that to me is one we didn't really talk about him, but we were speculating, hey, maybe would they go with a guy like Reed Blankenship to reunite him with Christian Parker? He just signed with the Texans for a whole lot less than what the Cowboys signed Thompson for.
- [05:28]
B
I, I can talk about this one. I'm, I'm actually happy the Cowboys went and signed Jaylen Thompson over reed Blankenship. Number one, I think he's just a better player. Number two, he was much better in 2025, and there's also a relationship there. Remember Ryan Smith, who the Cowboys hired as the cornerback coach, was in Arizona last year and he was, you know, he was there obviously coaching Jaylen Thompson. The reason I like Thompson so much is that he is somebody that's done really at all in Arizona. Over 2, 000 snaps in the box during his career. 1200 slot snaps, 2500 snaps as a deep center field safety. He, I mean, he's literally done it all and you kind of had to when you had Buddha Baker, who you had to move all over the field. He's only 27. He turns 28 this summer. And I think the deal they got him on was very, very team friendly. I thought he was the second best safety on the market outside of Brian Cook. I think this is a really, really strong deal for Dallas.
- [06:30]
A
Okay.
- [06:30]
C
I mean, I think it's. I think that's good. I mean, I, I'll take your word. I haven't, I haven't watched five minutes of him. I, I didn't know. I didn't hardly know who he was. So I can't, I certainly can't come on here and say, boy, let me tell me, point you to this, Let me tell you about that. That's not the case. So I'll take your word. Although I have a hard time taking your word knowing that the Cowboys pro personnel department has not been lightning to fire recently. So. Okay, fair enough. It's time to take a good swing and see if you can hit one and maybe they hit one here.
- [07:09]
B
To me, this is a just. He's not going to be a big interception guy. I don't, I think he didn't have an interception last year. He hasn't had more than two interceptions, I believe, in each of the last three seasons. So don't expect that you're going to be getting a guy that's a big ball hawk. What he does well is that he plays in the box. He tackles really well. He's a decent run defender, but it's his versatility and I think with the news that the Cowboys are, you know, bringing back Malik Hooker, you've got Thompson, I think you feel pretty good about where the safety room is at right now.
- [07:43]
C
Isn't that what Hooker is, a box safety? Isn't that what Wilson Wilson was, a
- [07:48]
B
box safety, but Donovan Wilson, yes, Malik Hooker is, to me, is a little bit more versatile. They use them a lot as a center fielder. I think these two mesh way better than what Donovan, Wilson and Hooker did because Thompson can actually cover.
- [08:04]
A
Okay, so let's, let's take a step back and let's go back to the weekend, all right. And let's try to connect the dots a little bit if we can. So according to multiple media reports, the Cowboys were all in for Max Crosby. They had an offer of a first round pick and a future second round pick. The Ravens beat that with the two number ones. So what did you think of that? Number one, both of you, and number two, I guess maybe because of that I was expecting them to do something big today. And maybe, maybe that could still happen. We hope, right? Maybe Rashawn Gary, maybe that was kind of maybe a different part of the plan. I don't know. What do you see when you look at the whole picture and where we're at right now?
- [08:58]
B
Go ahead, Stretch.
- [08:59]
C
Well, I mean, you know, first of all, I had heard that it was what they offered for Max Crosby was a one, the following year's two and a player. So the Raiders decided to go a different direction with the two ones, which is what Baltimore offered, which is, boy, in my mind, it's like that's out of the character of what an Aussie newsome Baltimore Ravens scouting department front office used to look like. Now maybe they have shifted gears and say, hey, we're in a win now mode with where we're at with Lamar Jackson and what we want to do. So, you know, I didn't have any problem with where the Cowboys were going or the emphasis they put on Max Crosby not getting him. I think you, you then move to the edge of your chair and you go, well, okay, since they didn't get him then, then let's, let's see where they go with Trey Hendrickson. That's. That, that's my thinking, because I do think that even though they got Rashawn Gary early in the day, he is not, he's not that guy screaming off the edge. That's going to go, it's going to go be a productive pass rusher. I don't know where Hendrickson's health is some, something like comes to my forefront that maybe they don't think he's healthy, maybe he can't pass the physical, whatever the scenario is right now. But I do like from a Cowboy standpoint that nobody else has signed Trey Hendrickson yet. So that's still a possibility.
- [10:51]
B
So just to go back to the Max Crosby offer, I think a first and a second and also the player was also Digizua. Like that's been out there.
- [11:00]
A
Yeah, yeah, that's right.
- [11:01]
B
That is a very, very strong offer by the Cowboys. Very strong. Now that to me that was more than I was willing to offer, like personally. But I also understand why the Raiders took the Ravens offer because they are looking for draft picks, not necessarily players. Right. And with the Ravens first round pick this year already being at 14, you're locking yourself into a top 15 pick. Makes total sense to me. I, I think, I think what's fascinating to me is how they pivoted. They, you know, they didn't go to Trey Hendrickson again as of this recording. They went to Rashawn Gary. And this is one that I, I gotta be honest, coach, I, I just don't see it. You know, there was some in rumors over the weekend that the packers were going to cut Rashawn Gary. That seems very, very likely considering his cap number. The Cowboys jumped in, they gave up a fourth round pick, which is not insignificant for a player that has $42 million left on his current contract. None of it is guaranteed. None of it is guaranteed. So they, they might. What's that?
- [12:04]
A
I thought it was a seventh. It was a fourth.
- [12:06]
B
It was a fourth round pick.
- [12:08]
C
Yes.
- [12:09]
A
Ouch.
- [12:10]
B
A fourth round pick and 42 million. Now I'm gonna like this deal a lot better if we hear two days from now that they've lowered the base salary. They've given him some more guaranteed money. And it's, you know, it's really 12 million rather than 18 million. We'll see. But this is a guy whose past rush win rate, which is a stat that PFF has when it comes to how often do you beat your block? Has declined in each of the last four seasons. He did not record a sack in the second half of last year. The play really dropped off when Michael Parsons left last year. I still think he's a valuable run defender, but you're, you're not paying $18 million a year for a run defender. You need him to be a better, you need him to be a better pass rusher than what he's been over the last couple Seasons.
- [12:56]
C
And again, that, that what everybody said was when you lost Micah, you, you got to have a guy bringing it off the edge now, you know, we could sit here and say, okay, does this move of, of, of trade and resign or whatever you want to do with Rashan Gary, does that move now tell you where Dallas is going to go in this draft? Does that tell you that it's one of your guys? Marcus is. Is it how or Bane that immediately moved to the forefront of that 20th pick? I'm, I'm, I'll be honest, I'm scared of that. With them 30 inch arms, I'm scared of that. But does what happened today signify or tell you what the Cowboys are going to do if, if Hendrickson is not the guy? And I think absolutely it does.
- [13:56]
B
I mean, I think so. I. Edge rusher was one of their biggest needs anyways. And even if Gary ends up being a way better player than what I'm anticip or even what the Cowboys are anticipating, they need more edge rushers. Donovan as Rocku is coming off hip surgery. James Houston is really the only other edge guy on your roster. Jadevian Clowney is a free agent. Dante Fowler is a free agent. You're going to need like four outside linebackers in the scheme and you really only have two and one of them is going to miss the entire off season. So, yeah, I think they could actually go out and sign another guy, you know, at 7 to 8 million dollars a year and still prioritize that in the draft that picks, you know, 12 or 20. I, I fully expect them to draft a defensive end with one of those first two first round picks.
- [14:41]
A
All right, let's hold it right there. I'll tell you what when we come back. So they make two moves today. What, what can they do? What, what, what's left? How much money do they have left, do you think? What, what moves are still out there? What do you think they might be able to do left in free agency? We'll get into that and more when we come back. This is the Cowboys squad show. I got to give it up to game time though, because right now we live in a world where you can stream anything, order food in minutes, and carry supercomputers in our pockets. And somehow buying tickets to a live game still feels complicated. You got hidden fees, jumping prices, endless steps. I mean, there really has to be a better way. Well, that's why there is the Game time app. It gives fans the advantage and makes getting tickets simple. Whether it's NFL games, concerts, comedy Whatever you're into, you jump onto the app, check out your tickets for an upcoming game and it really only takes you minutes to get it done. You can see panoramic views from every seat before you buy. The price you see includes all fees and there are no surprises when you get to checkout. And you can even spot zone deals where you can pick the section and game time picks the seat for extra savings. So it's really two taps and you have great seats locked in fast, easy done. So right now, take the guess word out of buying tickets. Download the gamepad map, create an account and use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase terms. Apply again, create an account and redeem code locked on L O C K E D o N for $20 off download game time today. All right, we're back. The Cowboy squad show, former Cowboys coach Glenn Stretch, fifth Smith and the co host of the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast, Marcus Moser. All right, they get Sean Gary. Little side question for, for you on that one, Marcus. Do you think somebody, one of the new coaches had some input on that acquisition number one? And they also, they signed Jalen Thompson. Where does that leave them? What, what else realistically? I mean, do they have, do they have enough to make another big move if they want to? Is there enough cap space?
- [17:24]
B
Yeah, I mean, there's always cap space, right? Like, you can always find some space. And we saw even this morning, the Cowboys renegotiated a deal with Terence Steele that freed up, I believe it was 13 million. They resigned Malik Hooker to a deal that actually saved them $2 million against the cap. So they have other moves that they can make, whether it's, you know, restructuring Kenny Clark's contract or restructuring oh so diggy school contract, like oh so diggy zoo. They, they have moves that they can make. Will they make any more big moves? I think that remains to be seen. But to go back to the original question, there's several connections with Rashawn Gary. Brandon Jordan, the Cowboys new pass rush consultant that they hired just a week ago, he has experience with Rashawn Gary in Green Bay. Christian Parker was actually there in 2019 and 2020 working as a consultant when, when Gary was drafted. So there's two connections there. I think that's why the Cowboys probably made this move.
- [18:25]
C
Yeah, I mean, I'm saying that there, there, there certainly would have been someone that, you know, stepped up for making this move. And you know, the defensive coordinator right now is probably going to have, he's going to have some say because he's the new, he's the new voice in the building and they got to trust somebody in that situation. So, you know, it's two guys that least the Cowboys and their new staff have some familiarity with.
- [18:56]
A
All right, were you, were you surprised, Marcus, at the, the interest level for Max Crosby at all?
- [19:06]
B
No. I mean, partially because Jerry Jones loves him. I remember when the Cowboys are about to play the Raiders right before Thanksgiving, he was on the radio talking about how special of a player Max Crosby is, someone that can stop the run just as well as he can get to the quarterback who can play that many snaps. No, I, I, he's an easy player to like, plus he plays hard on every single snap. I, I totally get it. And I think this is somebody that fits any scheme. I think if you would have added him to this defensive line, you would have, you know, arguably had one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. So I'm not surprised at all. They had an interest. I am a little surprised that they were that aggressive trying to go out and get him.
- [19:47]
C
I'm surprised that at what it took to get him. I mean, we all know that. I mean, when you're, when you're, when you're messing in free agency and you're, you know, you're talking trade this time of year, you're not shopping at the dollar tree. I mean, you're at, you're, you're at Central Market and you're paying 120% of what it is. And okay, it's branded a little different. Okay, it's tagged a little different. But at the end of the day, you're still having to spend more. But I, I certainly didn't. When the Raiders said they wanted two ones for him, I thought, there's no way they get two ones for him. Well, but that's why I'm on here talking to you guys now.
- [20:31]
B
Well, just really quickly, there were a lot of people saying, okay, if, if Max Crosby gets two first round picks, how did the Cowboys only get two for Micah Parsons? And there's a big difference in salary where Max Crosby is only being paid. I think it's 29 million each of the next four seasons where with Michael Parsons you had to give him a new deal right away and the new money average, there was 47 million. So I think the difference in paying a guy 17 to 18 million dollars less per season is worth quite a bit more. Mike is still the better player, just to be clear. But that's why he still went for two first round Picks, So I know
- [21:12]
A
we were, we were. We've been talking a lot about all the, all the different needs. Linebacker, edge, rusher, secondary. We didn't, we haven't really seen any real big name linebackers go yet. Right. Unless I'm, I'm missing one.
- [21:30]
B
Well, you know, right before we went on the show, Nakobe Dean, who a lot of people thought was going to join the Cowboys, and Quay Walker, a linebacker from Green Bay. They both went to the Raiders. They both got fairly decent deals. Yeah. Nicole Dean signed a three year, 36 million dollar contract. Quay Walker signed a three year, 40 million dollar contract. And just from all the reports that are out there, it sounded like the Cowboys were in on Quay Walker. But I don't know if they were ever going to be able to meet that price tag. So that's. Those are two big linebackers that are already off the board.
- [22:07]
A
Wow. So I wonder what that means for somebody like Devin Bush and how much he'll command.
- [22:14]
B
Devin Bush signed today with. Oh, man, now I'm, I'm losing Chicago. Three years, 30 million. So you are seeing a lot of these linebackers come off the board.
- [22:24]
C
Are you thinking, Are you talking Lloyd the guy?
- [22:27]
A
Lloyd. Thank you. I'm sorry, I get my. Devin's mixed up. Mixed up. It's, it's, it's an age thing. Lloyd hasn't signed though, right?
- [22:37]
B
Lloyd has not signed yet. We're waiting to see where he goes.
- [22:41]
A
Okay. I wonder how much he will command with. With the market being kind of established right now.
- [22:48]
B
So kind of the rumblings going into free agency was 16 to 17 million per year. I would pay that. Honestly, I, I would pay Devin Lloyd that much money because I think he's that good of a player. And I think if you sign him to that deal, I think Leidenbacher is suddenly a position that you don't have to draft in round one. You have the Marvin overshone. You drafted Shamar James. Maybe you grab somebody on day three. But I think Devin Lloyd could do everything that you would want from a starting linebacker. I think I would be even willing to pay a little bit more than market value here because he's such a good player and he's still so young,
- [23:25]
A
I would think. I mean, coach, what's it like, you know, kind of right now when you're, you're making plays for some guys and you get some, but you don't, you don't get some. You don't want to keep, you know, musical chairs. You don't want to keep missing out and Losing out. So I'm assuming they have a pretty good list and they're just going down the list and trying to get.
- [23:49]
C
It's how you rank these guys and where you think, where you think they might go. I mean, you know, when you, when you, when you make mistakes in past mistakes, whether that's in free agency or in drafting, this is when it cost you and, and it cost, and it cost to get back in and, and play in this particular arena. And that's, you know, that's, that's where they're at right now. So, you know, I'm hoping that they have some money. I don't, I don't know right where they're at with the cap, but I know they're trying to clear some money, but I think the key is going to be can they get Gary for, for cheaper on the books than, than what he shows coming out of Green Bay.
- [24:35]
B
And there are some things the Cowboys can do once they, once the trade officially goes through. They could restructure the deal, save some cap, push some money into 2027, or he's likely going to be released anyways. To me, this is probably a one year rental. Now. It's expensive to rent a player for one year, but. Or they could approach Gary and say, hey, $42 million, you're not going to make that on the open market. What if we give you $20 million guaranteed, we'll give you a signing bonus right now and that way you, you get a little bit more security. I think that's ultimately what's going to happen here. And that's going to free up, you know, that could potentially free up anywhere from 6 to 8 million dollars for Dallas this year.
- [25:16]
A
What do you think, Marcus, the thought process, I mean, you, you nailed it pretty well that in all likelihood he was going to be released by the Packers. Why, why give up a fourth round pick and take on that, that contract that you have to deal with when if you probably waited a little bit, you would have been able to get him anyway? I'm sure he would have loved to come here.
- [25:39]
B
Yeah, a couple things I think. Number one, you do it because you have more flexibility when it comes to a contract and you're not having to bid against other teams in free agency. Like I said, there's no guaranteed money. So if this thing goes really poorly and he's just washed up in camp, they cut him before week one and they don't owe him any money. Right. You don't have the benefit of that. If you sign him to A big deal on the open market. Now that's obviously like the worst case scenario here because then you gave away a fourth round pick but you have more flexibility with what you can do with this contract and you're not having to give up a ton of money up front. As for the fourth round pick, I think this is probably where I have the biggest disagreement with them. I think you could probably have gotten him a little cheaper than that. Than that. Maybe there were some other teams that were bidding against Dallas and that's something that we don't know. But for a player that was very likely going to be released, it does seem like a little bit of an overpay based on the trade compensation.
- [26:38]
C
Yeah, I'm going to say that they were that the only that the reason they did give that four was because there were, there were multiple other bidders out there. That, that's, that's just my gut feeling. Otherwise I, I don't see Stephen or Jerry doing a, you know what would feel like a knee jerk move to go ahead and give up a four there.
- [26:59]
B
Oh, I, I don't disagree but we have seen this before with like Jonathan Mingo. They traded a fourth round pick for Jonathan Mingo and I'm fully aware of that.
- [27:09]
C
And then yeah, they had a second round grade on him coming out of college and yeah, two years he proved he wasn't making the step. And Carolina and yeah, I mean he's
- [27:18]
B
got five passes for them since then. So they, they do have a tendency to overpay for some of these trades. They did it last year with Kyrie, they did it last year with Kenneth Murray. Frankly, they probably did it with Joe Milton as well. So this is kind of a trend. Unfortunately. I think Gary is a better player than all of those names that we just mentioned. We'll see how it works out.
- [27:40]
A
I could have sworn it was a seventh round pick. I mean it just changes the whole conversation. So you hit on it in your first answer, Marcus. So what with the D line depth, you still still a few players away, right? I mean still more work to do, few more edge rushers?
- [28:02]
B
Oh yeah. I mean definitely you need more edge rush up. And again, if you look at like the, the pressures for Rashan Gary for last year, you'll see a, a big number. I think what I'm concerned about is the win rate. Like you're just not seeing him beat blocks as effect effectively as he did in previous seasons. Now the hope is that the defensive tackle play is a lot better and he's going to See more one on one blocks, more, you know, matchups against the tight end and I think that's how you get more value from him. But to answer your question, yeah, they, they're probably going to need to add at least two more edge rushers. I would like to see them add one more decently priced veteran, whether that's a Joey Bosa or somebody in that range. But I fully expect them to draft one early and sign another.
- [28:51]
C
Yeah, I mean they got, they've got to have, they've got to have numbers at that position. So it's that simple. They can't, I mean, I don't, I don't think there's any way you, where they're staying right now. You're not going back to Davion Clown?
- [29:05]
B
No, probably not. I would, but probably not though.
- [29:10]
A
I mean I, as I said, I feels a little, a little underwhelming today. I mean I was kind of excited. I was really maybe expecting something big, especially on the heels of coming up short for Max. But I mean, Jerry promised and vowed to bust the budget. Doesn't, doesn't feel like it yet. Now, it's not done yet. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not saying it's over and this is it. But I, I mean, I hope, you know, I hope there's, there's something left. I hope there's another move or two.
- [29:39]
B
Oh, there, there will be. I think you're going to see them sign a linebacker or trade for a linebacker here in the next 24 hours. I think you'll see another edge rusher. I wouldn't be surprised if you see a cornerback signing as well. I just think when people thought that they were maybe getting Trey Hendrickson and Nicobe Dean and Jalen Thompson that maybe they got their hopes up a little bit too much. I think Jalen Thompson's a big win. I think Rashawn Gary is a riskier trade. But I understand why they made it. Let's let the process play out a little bit here.
- [30:11]
C
Yeah, I think you got, I don't think you can jump in and start grading what they've done in a, what in a sense is a six and a half hour period or seven and a half hour period. I think you gotta kind of got, and, and I'm not that way at all. I mean, I, I, I have zero interest in going fishing. If you call it catching, I'm in. But I, I, hell, I'm the most impatient guy there is. But at this point I agree I have to Show a little patience. Well, I didn't ask you if you agreed or disagreed.
- [30:44]
A
All right, when we come back, I want to look at the other side of this. And this could be maybe, you know, maybe by being patient, they might get some good deals. We'll get into that when we come back. Great to be with you. Thanks for everybody that is joining us live and listening as well. We love it. This is the Cowboys Squad show. Right now, they want to talk to you about what's going on at Indeed. Because workplace chaos, deadlines stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. And when the pressure's on, you need to get the right hire. This is a job for sponsored jobs. That's right, Indeed Sponsored jobs. They help you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for. Skills, experience, location. So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. And here's a stat that says it all in the less than a minute that we've been talking. Companies like yours made 27 hires on Indeed. That's according to Indeed Data Worldwide. So if you're hiring right, spend less time searching, more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes where with Indeed sponsored jobs. Now here's what you do. You want to spend less time. You want more time actually interviewing the candidates that you want, right? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. And right now, listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com just go to Indeed.com podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about it on this podcast. Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored jobs. And this is the Cowboy Squad show. That is the co host of the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast, Marcus Mosher, along with former Cowboys coach Glenn Stretch Smith. Right. So we've seen some activity. A lot of big names off the board already today, but a lot of players have not yet signed. And, you know, it's, it's, this is where it kind of gets interesting because you're kind of waiting for the next domino to fall. On one hand, if you're a team, you know you want to try to get the best deal. But on the other hand, if you're a player, right, you don't want to wait too long. You don't want to. You don't want to shoot yourself and lose even more money or miss a good opportunity. So now gets Interesting where you might see players maybe more willing to take like a one year prove it deal, something like that. So again, still a lot of players left and it's going to be there. I'm sure the Cowboys are kind of waiting it out and doing their work behind the scenes.
- [33:59]
B
Yeah, I mean I, I fully expect that to be the case. I think there's going to be. Let me back up. I don't expect them to be in like the Trey Hendrickson market anymore. I just don't see them paying the money to go out and get him now. I think now what you're doing is trying to find guys that fit roles and I'm just going to give you some names like a Kyle Van Noy can come in here and be your fourth outside linebacker or players like that that are coming in on one year deals at 3,4 million dollars a year. Not too differently than what the Cowboys had last year in Dante Fowler and Jadavian Clowney. Just guys to fill out your rotation. I do think there are some quality starters left that the Cowboys might be interested in. We'll see what happens with Devin Lloyd. Leo Chanel is a linebacker from Kansas City. That I think is worth exploring. But I think for the most part we probably have seen them sign their big, their big name players.
- [34:57]
C
Yeah, I mean I, again, this is going to be a, a situation where they're, they're gonna, there's a lot of pressure with these first two picks. I'm just, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. I mean they're, they, they've got to hit on, on those two guys. And regardless of what they did in pre agency, I still think they had to hit with those two guys. So I'm kind of glad they got the draft capital with those two players. And if you told me right now, if you just said right now. I think that if you said right now. Styles and the Oregon safety. Styles at 20, the Oregon styles at 12 and the Oregon safety at 20. I mean, I, you know, sign me up. You might go. You might go. And I don't even drink. You might go drink till the damn world looks flat. Because then it doesn't matter what they're doing in free agency.
- [35:54]
B
I mean, I'm with you. Like that's. The draft is the most important thing here. If they, if they miss their first two picks, they're not, they've got no chance. Right.
- [36:04]
C
That's exactly. And, and if they do, if they miss with either one of those picks, it doesn't make a whiskey Crap, what else they do. Because it, I mean you might as well just say, hey, this would be a full, they have put themselves, they put all the pressure on the draft and put themselves if they don't hit there, I mean this is a full reset.
- [36:28]
B
Yeah. And I mean it's always going to come back to the draft. Right. If they, if they nail those two spots again. I like Jalen Thompson quite a bit. I think even the biggest, maybe skeptics on Rashawn Gary at least could acknowledge that you're getting a good run defender that can eat up a bunch of snaps and then you, you know, you nail those two picks and all of a sudden the defense can be average. And that's all we're asking for, is to have an average defense. If you have an average defense last year you probably win 11 games. They weren't even close to average. So it's going to come down to those two picks like it, it has all off season. That's, those have been the most important, most important, important assets the Cowboys have had this whole time.
- [37:08]
A
It is interesting to me though that we talk about the window, right. And you look around the league and when you, and this is not to, to go after Dak or get into that, but when you, when you have a high priced quarterback, that window shifts and like look at, look at the, look at the, the Chiefs for example, I mean they had the, they had to gut their, their defense and they signed Kenneth Walker. So it's interesting to see different teams, some teams beefed up defense, other teams are beefing up their offense and it's just fascinating how it plays out. But the Cowboys, like you said, I mean offense is great, defense just needs a little bit of help and they've made a couple moves today. Hopefully they can fill it out well.
- [37:53]
B
And that's what's so great about the NFL. There's no one model on how to build your team. And we see teams in free agency, they are going with the stars approach. They're going to be, you know, have a very top end defense and rely on the later stages of the draft to fill in the depth. There are other teams that believe in, hey, if we can have 14 or 15 starting caliber players on defense, that's how we get to be a top 10 unit. I don't really know how the Cowboys fit into there yet. Right now it seems like it's a little bit of a, a stud and dud mentality considering how much you're paying your three defensive tackles, your one edge rusher and now your two safeties on top of Dur Duron Bland. But we'll see. I'm curious to see how they fill out the rest of this roster.
- [38:36]
C
I mean, what do you think the Chiefs are thinking? They let both starting corners walk out the door and went and spent their money on, on a running back. I mean, is that the team that is next year's Dallas Cowboys where they're, they're giving you the heads up we got to go score 38 to 40 a game to win maybe.
- [38:54]
B
And they also lost their starting safety and Brian Cook who got a huge deal from Cincinnati.
- [38:57]
C
So I mean they're basically their whole secondary is gone.
- [39:01]
B
Gone right now. I, they've got a really good coach over there that has proven that he can cover things up. But I, I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the way they feel like they're gonna have to start winning games moving forward.
- [39:14]
C
I hope he, I hope he, I, I hope he's a covering tackling some buck.
- [39:19]
B
He's gonna have to, I don't know
- [39:20]
C
how good he better be able to fly and tackle if that's. Yeah. Spagnola.
- [39:26]
A
And how about the Seahawks? They unloaded quite a bit too, but they, they signed your guy, Rashid Shahid.
- [39:33]
B
Yeah. Really excited to see Rashid Jiheed back with Seattle. And you know, they've got JSN who they're gonna give a big deal to. They have Cooper Cup. It's fascinating that they let the Super Bowl MVP walk, but obviously John Snyder and Mike McDonald believe that the running back position is easy, easily replaceable. I'm curious to see which running back that they sign and if it fits into their new offense.
- [39:56]
A
Yeah. Which makes the, you know, Javante Williams deal look pretty good. Right. I mean the fact they were able to get him at that rate at that level, which is good to see.
- [40:07]
B
Yeah, we should talk about that really quickly because Javante signed a 8 million dollar a year deal about three weeks ago. And I, I admittedly, I was a little critical of the deal. I thought it was a tiny bit expensive given his skill set. But you saw Kenneth Walker get 14 million a year. You saw Travis ETN get 13 and a half million and I do think he's a step down from those guys. But there's not a five and six million dollar gap between Javante Williams and Kenneth Walker. So this is again, I know everybody thinks. I love to be critical about the Cowboys. I think this Javante move continues to look better and better every day that passes.
- [40:44]
C
You think Etienne's that big, that much better player than Javante?
- [40:49]
B
No, he's quite a bit better as a receiver.
- [40:52]
C
That's not what I said. I said you think he's a better football player.
- [40:56]
B
Yes.
- [40:57]
C
That much of a better football player.
- [40:59]
B
I think he's a better football player, but he's not $6 million better than Javante.
- [41:03]
C
Yeah, no.
- [41:04]
A
No way. No chance. Interesting. Very interesting. We'll see how that plays out for sure. But yeah, I, I like that move. And so with, with Trey Hendrickson. So, yeah, I'm with you. It just doesn't seem like that that window is still open there. You think something happened with him behind the scenes, the fact that he isn't signed with anybody yet?
- [41:30]
B
No, I think he's been wanting to be a free agent for a while. I think he's taking his time. There's also. This is a guy that has had a lot of injuries throughout his career. I wouldn't be surprised if teams are being really cautious here. He's also in his 30s. He had a big injury that he's recovering from this year. He's not the best run defender world. He should still get over 20 million a year, just to be clear. But I bet you he's trying to find the right opportunity versus just jumping out and trying to get the most money possible.
- [42:03]
C
Yeah, I mean, to me, it's has to be about fit for him. I mean, he's played on a really bad defense and so, you know, he's to the point now where you are in your 30s and you got one chance to get this thing right. I mean, he's just kind of, he's going to kind of see where this, where this goes. But I, I don't get the feeling that the Cowboys are, are, are on the front burner, I can tell you that. And, and that's, that's for either way. That's from his side and on the Cowboys side.
- [42:38]
A
I wonder though, Marcus, you would, you could answer this. I wonder though, the fact that they really wanted to get Max, right? They really, they liked him. Jerry liked him like you said, thought he could really make an impact in multiple ways. I wonder if they still want to make that kind of a move with somebody else. Somebody else that can make that kind of a splash or was it just him as a player? You know, I wonder if they still want to do that.
- [43:08]
B
Oh, I mean, I think so. I, I wouldn't be surprised if the Cowboys are still looking at, you know, guys like Kayla Von Chase on who they liked back in the 2020 draft. I think they're looking at somebody else who, who can give them some juice off the edge. And maybe it's not Trey Hendrickson right now at 20. I'm making up the number 23 million, but maybe he's available tomorrow in the afternoon and he's coming down to 17 million. Maybe that's when the Cowboys jump back into this thing. But I, I'm with coach right now. I don't think they're interested at all at the current price tag.
- [43:40]
A
Yeah, interesting. And I wonder, too. It's, it's fascinating because on, on one hand, teams want to strike quick, players want to sign quick. But then after that, like you put it, that first wave, then it becomes kind of a cat and mouse of who can, who can outweigh, like, you don't want to. Sometimes you'll have a player that will say, nope, I'm, I'm going to wait for my deal. And sometimes it can drag on all the way before training camp. You know, just, you just never know.
- [44:14]
B
Let's also be honest. There's some guys here that don't love offseason workouts. Right. I think JVON Clown is the king of this. Right? Like, hey, I, I don't have to sign in March. Let me, let me sign in late July or early August. Don't be surprised if a couple of these big name edge rushers take a little bit of time before they ultimately decide where they're going.
- [44:36]
A
All right, let's take our final time out. Winking back our final segment. We'll get some final thoughts. Maybe Marcus, if this is a real quick break, but I'd love to see if there's anybody else on your radar that you guys have mentioned that you'd like to see them, maybe make a run at.
- [44:54]
B
I'll have a list for you when we get back.
- [44:56]
A
Love list. I love the list. Thank you, Marcus. This is the Cowboys squad show. All right, we're back. Told you. Quick break. Cowboy squad show. Before we get into the list, what do we got coming up the rest of this week on the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast?
- [45:19]
B
Yeah, we're going to continue to break down all of the moves that the Cowboys made. We'll take a deeper dive into Rashan Gary, how he fits Christian Parker's defense, the expectations, what the contract could look like. Make sure you guys tune in for that. And again, any breaking news that the Cowboys have or the Cowboys make, we got you covered. Make sure you subscribe, download, wherever you get your podcast. We are free and available on all Platforms.
- [45:43]
A
Just taking a look real quick. Former Cowboy. I just saw this Rico Dowdle signs with the Steelers. Your backyard.
- [45:53]
C
Yeah.
- [45:53]
B
It's a great fit for Rico. He rejoins with Mike McCarthy, who he obviously had a lot of success with in Dallas. They've got Jalen Warren, who is a really good receiving back, and make plays off tackle. They needed somebody that could run between the tackles. Rico fits in there well. I think it's a great signing by Pittsburgh.
- [46:10]
C
Yeah, they get Pittman today. They got dk. I mean, they got, you know, Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh made a. Made a move today. I wonder. I wonder what the percentages are of Rogers coming back. And if not Rogers, might Pittsburgh be the fit for Kyler Murray? I.
- [46:32]
B
It sounds like it's more likely to be Joe Flacco if it's not Kyler.
- [46:38]
A
Yeah, I can't. I just. I don't know. I. I've been a Kyler critic for a long time, so I just. I don't. I don't ever see that happening.
- [46:47]
C
Yeah, the.
- [46:48]
B
Dan Rooney was talking about how they. They need an AFC north style of quarterback, and what he means by that is tall, big arm. Not that Kyler doesn't have a big arm, but they're looking for somebody who can drive the ball in the wind, in the snow. I think if it's not Rogers, it's gonna be. It's gonna be Joe Flacco. It could potentially be Mason Rudolph. Maybe it's Will Howard who they drafted, but I don't know. That's a situation for Kyler.
- [47:14]
A
Yeah. Tough, though. I. I mean, if you're a Steelers fan, though, tough to kind of put all your eggs in the Flacco basket going into a season that would be.
- [47:24]
B
I don't know.
- [47:25]
C
Yeah.
- [47:25]
A
I realize they're limited options. You know, there's not much you can do, but. Yeah, there's a way you could upgrade that. That would be better, certainly. All right, what's on the list? What do you got?
- [47:36]
B
Yeah. So we are getting to the second and third wave of free agency where most of the top guys are off the board. And again, Devin Lloyd, Trey Hendrickson, those are the.
- [47:45]
C
Really?
- [47:45]
B
That's the best linebacker and the best edge rusher available. They are still out there right now as of this recording. But if the Cowboys are looking at other edge rushers, that might be values. Arnold Ebiketti, who played for the Atlanta Falcons last year.
- [48:00]
C
What's his name?
- [48:01]
B
Arnold Ebiketti, Yeah. Played at Penn State. He was actually pretty good. On a personal basis, I think that's somebody that really fits a 3, 4 scheme. Well, you mentioned Caleb on Chase on Joey Bosa is, can still play a little bit if you want a guy that's just a part time pass rusher and for corners. The top guys out there, Tyreek Woollen from The Seattle Seahawks, 6 foot 4, 210 pounds, can run like crazy. And then there's an old.
- [48:32]
C
Wasn't the thought that you didn't think the Cowboys could afford him initially?
- [48:37]
B
Well, I still don't know if they can. I don't know if they can. If they're gonna be able to pay him 15, $16 million a year for a guy that is as inconsistent as he is.
- [48:46]
A
Right. I'll pass on, pass on that.
- [48:49]
B
Nayshaan Wright is still out there if you want an all pro caliber cornerback from the Bears.
- [48:55]
A
No, I'm surprised he, he didn't sign today a little bit.
- [48:59]
B
I think, I think teams know better. Right. I think they realized that last year was a little fluky. Maybe, maybe don't do that again.
- [49:06]
A
Yeah, that's fair.
- [49:08]
B
If you want some old, older, older guys that fit the scheme. I think Calais Campbell, who's 39 has played in 34 for almost his entire career. He's still a good player. There's also Bradley Chun, there's Hassan Reddick. There's guys out there, but most of these guys are rotational players who are probably going to get one year deals worth 4 or 5 million a year.
- [49:30]
A
A lot of incentives. Right. That's what, that's, that's what you do. Try to make it worthwhile, load it up.
- [49:38]
B
She didn't seem excited about any of those names.
- [49:40]
A
Yeah. Anybody stand out?
- [49:44]
C
Lubies. Go eat when you're older than that.
- [49:50]
B
I mean, Stretch is just all out on free age. I mean, and I get it. We are at the point in free agency where a lot of these names are not super intriguing. But what's, what's fascinating to me is like we're getting some more information in real time about like Nakobe Dean. And it sounded like the Cowboys gave Nakobe Dean a similar offer to what he accepted with the Raiders. He chose the Raiders instead. I, I don't know if that says anything about where the Cowboys are at as a defense or as a franchise, but Dean thought that was a better fit for him.
- [50:22]
A
Yeah, but that, I mean Raiders are now, I mean a total rebuild. Like why? I guess, I mean he won a Super bowl in Philly, so I guess it doesn't matter.
- [50:30]
B
Yeah, I mean he won a Super Bowl. He's getting paid regardless.
- [50:34]
C
Yeah.
- [50:34]
B
Maybe he likes to live out in that desert, coach, more than exactly.
- [50:37]
C
Right. Maybe. Maybe he wants to go out there and hear a little night live. City gonna sit my soul.
- [50:44]
B
It's possible.
- [50:47]
A
Very interesting. Wow. So the first wave, man, it's gone. It went quick.
- [50:52]
C
Yeah.
- [50:52]
B
Usually it's only about two hours. Right? That's that. We get a. A flurry of moves in two hours and then things start to trickle out. We'll still get some stuff here over the next 24 hours, but. Yeah, I, I remember as a kid having to wait by the tv, watching espn, wait for the bottom line to, you know, pop up. And that's, that's how you found out whether your team signed an impact pass rusher like Marcellus Wiley. It's like that's. That's all it was.
- [51:18]
A
My man. I love Marcel's. It's my buddy. So back to the, the Terrence Steel restructuring. So what, what, what did that. I know we talked about him a little bit. Are you okay with that? Are you okay with him being on board and part of the plan?
- [51:37]
B
I love it. I, I think this is a phenomenal deer deal, and I actually think it works out well for Terence Steele. So the idea was that Steele had three years remaining on this deal, and what the Cowboys did, there was no guaranteed money. They gave him $22 billion of guaranteed money, but they lowered his base salaries significantly. And this locks him in to be on the team really for the next two years, but it, it could technically be a one year deal and they save a bunch of cap space. It gives him more financial flexibility and security. Love it. I. A phenomenal job by the Cowboys front office getting this deal done.
- [52:13]
C
No, I think so too, because Terrence Steele is very productive. He's still, he's still a good football player. You don't want to have to. You didn't want to have to deal with that. And the fact that they got him on what feels like a team friendly situation, or they got it in a team friendly situation, that's a win win right there. I mean, that, that, that one deal alone, you know, might project them to be able to make a signing.
- [52:40]
B
Yeah. And honestly, that, that move, the savings from that move alone probably paid for Jaylen Thompson. I think Thompson's going to be making $11 million guaranteed for each of the next two seasons. There's your money. Like, that's, that's where you save that money. So kudos to Terence Steele for taking the pay cut. Good job by the Cowboys. Getting it Done. And just bought you a starting safety in a spot that you really needed a player. Jalen Thompson is here now because of Terence Steel.
- [53:07]
A
Nice. I have to confess, I am thinking, Marcus, about what you just mentioned about Nicobe Dean going to the Raiders instead of the Cowboys. Because we talked about that a lot. We thought, okay, I mean, that would be perfect, right? Christian Parker, his former coach, he could come here, be the guy, kind of be the, the captain of the defense, be the Mic and I, you know, we don't know what happened or what really went down, but it kind surprised me a little bit. It's got me thinking a little bit. I, I, I hope there was nothing, nothing animosity there or anything.
- [53:46]
B
No, it's my guess is he just decided it was a better football fit for him. Maybe he likes that scheme a little bit better. He said it was really close. It wasn't like one offer was way better than another, and that happened. Some guys want to play in Las Vegas or they want to be closer to the West Coast. Some guys like playing in Texas, and they, you never know why certain players choose certain destinations. I think if you get offended by it, you're in the wrong business. Like, it's, this is just what happens with these, these guys. So I, I wouldn't, I wouldn't put too much stock into it.
- [54:21]
C
I mean, I agree with you. I think, you know, it's where guys feel comfortable, where their family wants to go and, and quite frankly, you know, some of them are going to make a business decision, say, hey, I want to go to Texas because I don't have to pay to state taxes. I mean, there's, there's a lot of, a lot of little variables there.
- [54:40]
B
That's a Get to the beach really fast. If you're in LA or, you know, Las Vegas, you can get to Hollywood really quick if you care about that kind of stuff. I mean, people choose stuff for a variety of reasons. Right. Tony Pollard went from Dallas, which was a great situation behind a really good offensive line, to Tennessee because that's where he grew up. He grew up in Memphis. Right. So that's, don't judge these decisions too much by football decisions. A lot of time it's just where these guys want to live or for, you know, outstanding other circumstances.
- [55:15]
A
All right, fair enough. Rashawn Gary, was he, was he a captain with the Pack? I thought I saw a C on his.
- [55:24]
B
I believe he was, but I can tell you, I think a lot of the Packer fans were ready to get rid of him kind of at the end of the year, Micah Parsons made some statements about the effort of some of the other defensive linemen. And I think it was really directed at Rashawn Gary. But maybe this is what Gary needs. You know, he's been in Green Bay his whole career, played Michigan. Maybe a little bit nicer weather will cheer him up a little bit. We see some better effort from Rashawn Gary. I know for me, like I know Stretch played in the, up here in the north, he would be miserable. Some guys just need to get out of that cold weather.
- [55:59]
C
You ain't not be miserable. I'd hate it.
- [56:06]
A
You know, maybe I tell you, I would hate it.
- [56:09]
C
How many times you need me to say it? I can hit the trifecta. Hate and hate, hate it. I, you know what, here's the other thing is, you know, guys, guys need that, that restart. They need that kickstart. Players need a different environment. They need to hear a different voice. It's it. I, you know, I think a lot of times you see this kind of thing happen and you know, I'm sure that the Cowboys in a lot of ways are betting on the come because there are some times when I know that his, his, his effort was questioned. But you know, you gotta, you gotta get him in here and you got to kind of coach that out of him a little bit.
- [56:53]
B
I'm with you. Totally with you.
- [56:55]
A
Yeah. I think that it may be that the fact that he's going to kind of have like a prove it financial situation so an opportunity to kind of reinvent himself and earn another long term deal. He'll have the opportunity and you know, great opportunity to prove himself.
- [57:12]
B
He should. Like I said, I think we're going to see the Cowboys rework this deal. I wouldn't be surprised if they maybe cut a year off and allow him to hit free agency sooner. If you're Rashawn Gary, everything sets up for you to have a big season. You're going to have less attention on you than ever before because of those three defensive tackles. You're going to be playing in a dome. It's time to shine. And if he has a big year, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets rewarded with another big contract. We're seeing teams give these guys a bunch of money in free agency. Even guys like Cleo Mack at 35 years old are making $18 million guaranteed again. Everything is on the table for Rashawn Gary to have a big bounce back season.
- [57:54]
A
Right. So one final thing before we go so we, we hit on this With Jalen Thompson and he's going to be with Malay Cooker. What about the corners and the rest of the secondary?
- [58:06]
C
Where.
- [58:07]
A
I mean, how. How close are they? What do they need, do you think? What would you like to see if. If they could stretch?
- [58:16]
B
What do you think?
- [58:17]
C
I mean, I'm not necessarily going to say that Hooker's a starter day one. I'm going to say that I still think the Cowboys are in play for. If the right safety was there, I mean, let's say. Let's just say Downs would be there at 12. Do you think the Cowboys wouldn't take him now?
- [58:36]
B
No, I think you. Yeah, you take it and you play three safety.
- [58:40]
C
Yeah, so. So that's. That's one way to look at it. And then, I mean, I'm not a. I'm. I'm going to tell you, I don't think it's a very, very good corner draft. I just. I just don't. So, you know, where are the Cowboys as far as how they feel about Bland's assessment post surgery? Where is he at? And then, you know, might they. Might they like one or two of these young guys that they have? I don't know. I think. I think all that's, you know, really remains to be seen. I agree.
- [59:20]
B
They need a lot of work to be still done in that secondary. A lot of work.
- [59:25]
A
All right, well, it's only day one. So we got. We got tomorrow. And then, of course, the official new year begins on Wednesday. In the meantime, we will be back with you on Thursday. And of course before that, Marcus and Landon, you will be with us every day with the daily Locked on Cowboys podcast. We will look forward to that. And again tomorrow. You got the next episode tomorrow.
- [59:48]
B
Yeah, we'll be talking about Rashawn Gary. We'll talk about Jalen Thompson, how they fit into this defense, why the Cowboys signed them, traded for them. Make sure you guys tune in for that.
- [59:59]
A
All right, before we go, I like a lot of great comments here. I wish we could read them all. But closing out, we got Marvel Jesus back again. But I like what Carmine says. Make a play on Lloyd. That's with who's left. That would be. I'd love to see them make a run at him if they can. We'll see. We'll find out soon enough. But in the meantime, thank you everybody for watching and listening. We'll do it again on Thursday. Don't forget, check out Marcus and Landon on the Daily. And coach, thank you. We'll talk to you again Thursday as well. This has been the Cowboys squad show.